Five police personnel quarantined in Saharanpur

Five police personnel were quarantined in Saharanpur district on Friday after one of them came in contact with a Covid-19 positive patient.

Five police personnel were quarantined in Saharanpur district on Friday after one of them came in contact with a Covid-19 positive patient, chief medical officer (CMO), Saharanpur, Dr B S Sodhi said on Saturday.

He said one of the five policemen had been in contact with the Covid-19 patient from Sarooropur Kala village of Baghpat district who returned from Dubai on March 15.

“We have kept all five of them in quarantine. The sample of the policeman who came in direct contact with the Baghpat patient has been sent for a test,” said Dr Sodhi.

“If he tests positive, the samples of the remaining four police personnel will also be tested,” the CMO said.

The Baghpat patient’s sample was sent for a test on March 20 after he complained of sore throat and fever, the CMO added.

He tested positive on March 24 and he was sent to the isolation ward and eventually referred to Delhi for further treatment.

When this patient’s contacts were being traced, the policeman’s name came up, the CMO said.

Dr Sodhi said the policeman further came in contact with four colleagues in Saharanpur after arriving from Baghpat.

He clarified that family members of these policemen would be examined only after if the test report was positive. “We have sent them in quarantine as a precaution,” Dr Sodhi explained.

Saharanpur senior superintendent of police Dinesh Kumar P said all police personnel were directed to wear masks and do proper sanitisation on or off on duty.

He said medical examination was made compulsory for all police personnel arriving in the district for duty from other places.

They were also sensitised about keeping a safe distance from each other and people.

Meanwhile, the CMO said 12 people kept in quarantine in the district. They include six people from Deoband who came in contact with a religious preacher who stayed in a mosque between March 9 and 11 and thereafter travelled to Kashmir and died of Covid 19 on Thursday.

Another person, who was ‘hiding’ after returning from Dubai, was also sent in quarantine.